1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible hard top for convertible and including a top panel, two side longitudinal top carriers, two rear top posts adjoining the two side top carriers from behind, respectively, a top element including a rear window of the convertible and displaceable relative to the top panel, and support and guide rails forming a displacement guide for displacing the top element, together with the rear top posts, forward and located inside a trunk, with the support and guide rails being arranged in a drop-down position relative to a rear panel of the convertible.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional, presently in high demand, convertibles with hard tops, the top, when being displaced from a closed position to an open position, is displaced along its entire length, together with the top posts, in a top receiving space, in particular into a trunk of a saloon limo or sedan, with the posts being displaceable along the side displacement guides provided on side panels of the vehicle body.
German publication DE-OS 4025936 discloses a collapsible vehicle top displaceable, together with the top posts and the rear window, from its use position into a trunk provided in the rear region of the vehicle. To reduce the space for storing the top, i.e., to insure a compact storage of the top, in this top, means is provided for folding the rear window into a region beneath the rear portion of the top, i.e., beneath a rear region of the top panel. To this end, the rear window pivots about an axle provided beneath end regions of the top posts. The disclosed top is provided with the posts which extend almost at a right angle to the top plane. When this top is displaced into a receiving space, which extends in a transverse direction with respect to a longitudinal extent of the vehicle, much space is required in the edge regions of the side panels to accommodate the sidewise projecting top posts, which space is hardly available in compact vehicles. If the top posts were arranged at an obtuse angle with respect to the top panel to insure that less space is required, a comparative pivotal arrangement of the rear window on the posts would not be possible.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible hard top for convertible, in particular four-seat convertible, which, on one hand, has an excellent stiffness and, on the other hand, does not adversely affect the access to the trunk space while being stored in the trunk. That is, the inventive collapsible hard top should have a particularly stiff construction and be capable of being stored. in its collapsible condition within the vehicle body without adversely affecting the functions of the vehicle inner space so that both the vehicle inner space and the trunk space retain their functions to a greatest possible extent.